Norgite
Norgite is the most northern nation in Bellum Malleum. It has a rich history and is one of the oldest nations of the region. It's people have some freedoms but not to many and it has a booming economy. Ancient History Our knowledge of ancient Norgite is relatively complete compared to that of other nations due to the fact the ground is partially or completely frozen the entire year. While artifacts in southern nations tend to have mostly or completely decayed, those in Norgite remain in surprisingly pristine condition. the first human's began appearing in Norgite sometime around 15,000 years ago. Where they came from is unknown but the oldest remains have been found in the farthest northern reaches of Norgite, leading some scientists to suspect that the first humans arrived from the north! Though this seems impossible it is believed that they may have attempted to sail from some other land and ended up landing much farther north than they had intended. Though today it may seem unlikely that anyone could ever survive in the northern reaches of Norgite it was not quite so cold 15,000 years ago. In that time the ocean currents brought warm southern water all the way up to the coast of Norgite, allowing lush coniferous forests to thrive in the northern reaches of Norgite. For the next several thousand years the first humans lived as hunters and gatherers and sought shelter mostly in the land's numerous caves. In this time the land of Norgite changed dramatically. The ocean currents changed and warm southern water no longer heated the coasts of Norgite, leading the Northern third of Norgite to become inhospitable. Also many tools were invented in this time and agriculture was discovered in southern Norgite. Norgite in the First Era At the beginning of the Classical Era agriculture became widespread in Norgite. This led to higher population density in many areas surrounded by geographical barriers such as mountains and rivers. Those geographical barriers kept different tribes from simply leaving and finding new land. Eventually, intense conflict over resources became common and a centralized form of government was needed. The first recorded formation of a centralized state dates from as early as 117 B.C. and by 43 B.C. the entire Norgonian Peninsula was divided up between 17 competing factions who fought for supremacy for nearly 200 years. This part of Norgonian history, known as the First Era, was a time of much warfare and division. Technological advancement was quite rapid in this period however, and culture also flourished. Throughout this era the Norgonian system of government emerged in that each different kingdom was governed by a Jarl and when they finally united one of the Jarls became High King. By 150 A.D. the Norgonian Peninsula was divided up between three competing kingdoms. The north was ruled by the Kingdom of Namsen, The west was ruled by the Kingdom of Erodas, and the south was ruled by the Kingdom of Adger. In 152 A.D. the Kingdom of Namsen was torn apart by internal conflicts. This allowed Jarl Rurik of Adger to march in and assert his rule over the divided kingdom. A mere five years later, in 157 A.D., Jarl Rurik defeated the Grand Army of Erodas in the battle of Grimstad. The First Era was officially over and the entire Norgonian Peninsula was finally united under one Jarl, who soon became known as the High King. The long rule of the Jarls of Adger is known as the Second Era. Norgite in the Second Era The Jarls of Adger ruled from the grand southern city of Harstad. For hundreds of years Norgonian culture flourished and many technological advances were made. In the year 907 A.D. foreigners from the east landed near the city of Orkala. At the tim eit was not known where they had come from but we now know that these invaders were from the Eastern Isles. Known as the Finns, these invaders came over in the thousands seeking new lands and vast wealth. The Finns slaughtered the soldiers defending Orkala and quickly began expanding up and down the coast. City after city fell to the Finns but High King Halgard merely cowered behind the walls of Harstad. Jarl Theoden of Erodas was angered by the inaction of High King Halgrad and declared himself King of the west. Gathering his vast army of Clavary around him, Theoden rode north to the large city of Vesfjord. The army of Vesfjord eagerly joined him and together they rode south into the land of Adger. High King Halgrad had gathered a vast force to defened Harstad and left little to defend the other southern cities. Within months Theoden's host sat a mere half mile from the towering walls of Harstad. Similarly angered by Halgrad's inaction, many southern cities had joined Theoden rather than fight him a surely be defeated. The southern cities added thousands of soldiers to the army and with these extra soldiers Theoden was able to take the city of Harstad. When the outer walls had been breached many of the defenders surrendered. This save many lives and allowed Theoden to ride up the eastern coast and retake it from the Finns. By 995 A.D. the Finns held only one castle near Orkala, Theoden knew he would win and once the walls had been breached he was the first to charge through. Within seconds a spear sprouted from his back and King Theoden the Brave was dead. Without his rule the Norgonian Peninsula was torn apart by rebellions and the Third Era began. Norgite in the Third Era The Third Era was a time of much war and division. Many kingdoms rose and fell over hundreds of years and not much of note happened. Slowly over time a few kingdoms gained great power and they fought many great wars against each other. During this time knights were the key military unit on the battlefield. They were heavily armored and generally used longswords or battle axes on horseback. Eventually the Southern kingdom of Harstad gained control of the entire eastern half of Norgite, including the Eastern Isles. In the year 1487, Jarl Holfgar the Strong, King of the East, launched a massive campaign against the western kingdoms. The battle of Lorik's Folly, as it is now known, occured when Lord Lorik III of Gelmere, a city located at the western end of Labrinthyian Pass, ambushed the vast army of Jarl Holfgar. Nearly 150 western knights and 15,000 foot soldiers had laid in wait for the army of Holfgar, which had around 400 knights and 78,000 foot soldiers. Holfgar's army had become stretched out in the pass and was at first torn apart by the ambush, which smashed into holfgar's army at three seperate location. In the front of his army, Holfgar rallied his soldiers and knights around him. They soon fought of the ambushers and marched through the rest of Labrinthyian Pass unopposed. The battle had been a victory for Holfgar but the cost had been enormous, with nearly 120 knights and 18,000 foot soldiers slain. Eventually, after many huge battles and many deaths, Jarl Holfgar conquered the western half of Norgite and was named High King of Norgite. High King Holfgar was the first High King since the fall of Adger nearly 500 years ago. Holfgar wished for Norgite to remain united for a long time so he set up a system of government in which the High King was elected by the Jarls of all Norgite's major cities. Any Jarl was eligible to be High King and whichever Jarl recieved the most votes was elected High King. This system worked well and Norgite never again broke apart. Soon cultural barriers dissolved and all of the Norgonain Peninsula though of themselves as being the same. The Third Era of Norgonain history finally ended in the year 1992, when the High King was striped of the last of his powers. Modern Norgite After the las High King, Torygg, was striped of his last powers The Norgonian Senate assumed full power over the governance of the nation. They quickly began free elections, the first in Norgonian history, and a president was elected. The newly elected President Ustangrav almost instantly turned the old Norgite into one of the main powers in all of Bellum Malleum. Over the next two decades, Unstangrav led Norgite through many turbulent times of war but he was able to keep the nation prospurous. Shockingly, on the night of July 11, 2013, Unstangrav was assasinated by a still unkown person. Within hours the newly elected governer of Norgonian occupied Arakabael marched into Winterhold with an army of nearly 200,000 sodiers. General Ragnar Lothburk, second in command of Norgite's armies, had sided with the governer and afterwards became High General of all the armies. With no choice but to do as the governer said, the Senate crowned him Emperor of Norgite. The reign of Emperor Commudos Aurelius continues to this day but due to a recent economic depression many are calling for change and some rebel groups have emerged. Even so, Norgite remains one of the most powerful nations in Bellum Malleum and will only get stronger as time goes on.